Knäuel

Knäuel is a German term used in textile contexts to denote a compact bundle of fibers such as yarn or thread, wound into a roughly spherical or ellipsoidal shape. It is commonly translated into English as a ball of yarn or skein in everyday usage. A Knäuel can be produced by hand or with a yarn winder and is often sold as a unit in wool and craft shops; the equivalent standard German term is usually Wollknäuel or Fadenknäuel, with Knäuel functioning as a shorthand in dialectal usage.

In knitting, stitching, and weaving, the Knäuel serves as the source material, and care is taken to unwind it smoothly to prevent tangling. The term also appears in various compound nouns, such as Wollknäuel (wool ball) and Fadenknäuel (thread ball). The shape can vary from spherical to oblong depending on the winding method and storage conditions.

Etymology and usage vary regionally. The word derives from Germanic roots related to twisting and bundling of fibers, and its use is more common in informal speech and dialects of southern German-speaking regions as well as in Austria and parts of Switzerland. In standard practice, technical documentation and catalogs often prefer explicit compounds that specify the material, for example, Wollknäuel or Garnknäuel.

See also: yarn, wool, skein, ball of yarn.